Been There and Done That: Remembrances, Life Lessons and Observations:
“The Freighters” were a group of pals, principally from McClatchy, that got together once a year to hop freight trains. -- It started in 1958, when after a party at Julie Merksamer’s house, Lin Feil, 15 years old, got into trouble for staying out too late. An argument with his father ensued and Lin decided to run away from home. He packed a few things in a gym bag and snuck over to Dick Miller’s. He threw pebbles at Dick’s window and proceeded to talk Dick into going with him to caddy at the Carmel golf courses. Dick threw a couple packs of cigarettes and some candy bars into his gym bag and off they went to the Western Pacific train yards off of Sutterville Road. They hopped the first train they could going south and after a freezing night in a empty coal car got off the train in Emeryville and promptly got arrested. Dick’s grandmother had to come down and bail them out of jail. Much fun was had re-telling the tale when in 1964, while in college, Lin Feil, Dick Miller, Pat Kleeman and Bob Saunders decided to relive the adventure. They got together and hopped a Western Pacific freight going east into Nevada. They threw their lawn chairs and beer coolers into the back of pickup truck on the 2nd level up of a new car carrier. From this lofty, open-air vantage point they enjoyed the beautiful vistas of the Feather River Valley. They had so much fun that many of their buddies wanted to join them. Over the subsequent years, and from time to time, they were joined by other fellow McClatchyites such as Don Garrett, Jim Cordano, Bill Davis, Mike Stuart and Paul Malone. Fellow Freighters and at that time lawyers, Paul Malone, Herb Jackson (the ex-Sacramento District Attorney) and Hartley Hansen (Sac High) provided oft needed legal advice when the group was arrested by yard bulls. Every year, for over 25 years in a row, they enjoyed riding the rails. Word of their adventures got out and at one time, they were contacted by the Wall Street Journal who sent a reporter to ride the rails with them. An article called “The Executive Hobos” appeared in the center column of the front page. The reporter chronicled the high adventure from Sacramento to Winnemucca, Nevada and back including the five stitches in his chin and cracked arm bone borne as a result.
